Kidnapped

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Series:

David Balfour #1

Publisher:

Signet

Copyright:

1886

Printing:

1981

ISBN:

0-451-51972-8

Format:

Mass market

Pages:

239

Kidnapped is one of the few classics assigned in elementary school
that I actually read in elementary school, and one of the few books I had
to read for school that I really liked. I think it's a great book for
convincing kids that classics can be readable and fun, although it is a
boy's adventure novel and as an adult I found it thin in places.

David Balfour had a quiet upbringing in the Scotland Lowlands, but his
parents have both died and it's time to go out into the world to seek his
fortune. He's set on his path by the local minister, pointed at a nearby
city where he has relations. From there, he discovers he is the rightful
heir to a family fortune, is betrayed by his uncle, kidnapped into a sea
voyage, meets and pairs with a rogue, makes his way across the wild
Scottish Highlands, and in short follows the standard path of the coming
of age adventure story.

It's amusing how much Kidnapped matches the standard blockbuster
fantasy plot without being a fantasy at all. This sort of adventure story
is often written as fantasy these days, with the otherness of magic and
medieval cultures replacing the otherness of historic Scotland and its
wilds, and yet little of the plot changes without the fantasy element.
Without the escalating discovery of power or the mythological structure,
there's less going on, but the complexities of Scottish politics fill in
and feel deeper than most fantasy politics.

Strange places, attractive rogues, adventure on the high seas, and a bit
of Scottish political intrigue make this an adventure and provide the
obvious appeal, but the strength of Stevenson's writing lies in the
character interactions. Not the characters themselves as much: David is
a solid everyman, young and a bit brash and full of self-confidence. Alan
is a classic rogue, with some fighting skill, a gift of gab, and a
gambling problem. The other characters also tend to stick closely to
stock types, and none change much over the course of the adventure. But
they all feel deep and nuanced because Stevenson's touch with dialogue and
interaction is exceptional.

David expresses an attitude of superiority and adventure in the
first-person narration that fits his age and mingles with a straight-laced
attitude from his upbringing that occasionally catches him by surprise.
Alan isn't just a rogue with a heart of gold; he's obnoxious to David as
well, when he's in that mood. David doesn't quite know how to deal with
their conflicting political beliefs. When they finally have a serious
fight, it's one of the most honest fights I've seen in a book of this
sort; they fight like adults with real resentment, true to their
characters, rather than like petulant children or angsting teenagers.

There are some flaws. I found the beginning and end of the book by far
the strongest, and got rather tired of the extended wander across the
Scottish Highlands punctuated by only a few significant events. The final
resolution of David's inheritance is a wonderful set piece but a touch too
easy (although Stevenson does a great job making the victory a bit less
than complete for practical reasons). And this is still a boy's adventure
novel, an exciting romp and not much more than that. But it's a great
example of the genre.

While a complete story, it also ends on something of a to-be-continued
cliff-hanger around the political situation that David stumbles into,
something that I found frustrating as a kid. The sequel, so that others
can avoid the hunt that I went on, is available now as Catriona
even though it was originally published as David Balfour.